Thinkpads Forum

I'm trying to decide what ThinkPad to get for my first business laptop. I've never had a laptop before, so some of the options and specs are a bit confusing for me, especially since some options seem to only be available from certain locations (ie there's way more options at US websites than Canadian ones).
How do you figure out exactly what specs you need?

I'm thinking of getting it from EuclidComputers.com, because even with the exchange rate and ~$100 shipping to Canada, they're still hundreds of dollars cheaper than I've seen on Canadian sites anyway.

I was attracted to the X60/X60s because I'm looking for something very portable and light.
Is the difference between the two mainly that the 60s uses the Low Voltage processor, and thus has slightly longer battery life?

I'm also wondering if I should bother getting the X6 and a CD/DVD drive, or if I should just get a USB CD drive. I think I mainly want a CD drive for installing programs. I can watch DVDs from the harddrive, so I don't really see a need to carry around more weight just to bring an optical drive with me. Is having the X6 useful? I've been reading about some problems with them here on the forums.

Also, since I've never had a laptop, I don't know how it works for adding things like more RAM. Can you just open up the back and add it in, or is there one of those little stickers like "warranty void if seal is broken" type things? Do you need to get extra RAM installed at the time of purchase? I wasn't sure, because on the Euclid site I couldn't find an option for Lenovo RAM.

Thanks for any tips!

X60 is about 7mm thicker at the back. With the same 8 cell battery, X60 is about 0.07kg heavier. X60 is cheaper than a similarly configured X60s.

For long battery life, the 8 cell is highly recommended.

Unless you want a docking station, 3rd party USB optical drives are much cheaper and more portable than the ultrabase + ultrabay slim drive.

Adding RAM to X60/s is very easy. Simply open the memory slot cover and pop in a 3rd party or Lenovo RAM module of your choice. It does not void warranty.

Welcome to the Thinkpad Forums

Well, another difference between the X60 and the X60s is not only the CPU, but also the weight and the UL LED screen. You can take a look at the tabook.pdf in the forum FAQs here as that lists all te current, non-CTO combinations of features and extra devices on Thinkpads, including the X60 Series.

As for adding more RAM; it is fairly simple. You can add extra memory sticks yourself to the Thinkpad. In fact, it is probably not only easier but cheaper to buy them from another good quality source, and install them yourself if you cannot find a model that comes with the amount of memory you want as standard.

HTH

EDIT: Sugo posted whilst I was typing mine. Oops.

christopher_wolf wrote:EDIT: Sugo posted whilst I was typing mine. Oops.

Another example that members of this forum are really kind-hearted.

KittyCat wrote:I was attracted to the X60/X60s because I'm looking for something very portable and light.
Is the difference between the two mainly that the 60s uses the Low Voltage processor, and thus has slightly longer battery life?

Greetings and Welcome to the Forum!

Two months ago I purchased an X60s and I'm really happy with it. My expectations were high and it has exceeded them. I decided against the X6 Ultrabase because I only need an optical drive to load programs. I purchased an external USB optical drive which does the job and costs a lot less. The problem with the X6 is that it adds more weight and thickness to the computer so it ends up being about the same size & weight as the T series. This defeats the purpose of having a small, thin and light computer. I would highly suggest the X60s, as with the low voltage processor it runs cooler, quiter and has longer battery life. I own a company where we have both models (X60 & X60s) and going forward I'm only going to buy X60s models.

Regarding memory, there is a small door on the bottom with just one screw to remove. The memory just snaps into the socket. So installing that is really easy. There is even a movie on the web site to show you how. ThinkPad Movies

Look at the site: www.costcentral.com as they sell both the computer and Lenovo brand ram, the same that comes in the computer for about 30% less than Lenovo. To date they are the only reseller that I have found with both low prices on the computers and the same brand ram that comes in the computer. I have done business with both Euclid and Costcentral and they are very good companies to do business with. Euclid typically sells off brand memory etc, and a much higher prices. I believe they make there money by overpricing the extras at Euclid. When I compare prices I find that Costcentral is less expensive that Euclid, especially on add-ons such as memory etc. In addition you are getting top of the line accessories at Costcentral.

Hope this helps.

Cheers....

Thank you all!
I like these forums, everyone seems so willing to actually help and provide advice!

christopher_wolf wrote:You can take a look at the tabook.pdf in the forum FAQs here as that lists all te current, non-CTO combinations of features and extra devices on Thinkpads, including the X60 Series.

Thanks! I had seen reference to tabook.pdf before but I wasn't sure where to get it.
If I'm reading it corectly, is it true that the X60s only comes with a 1.66GHz processor, not a 1.83GHz?
Is that "enough"? I mean, even my desktop that's a couple years old has a 2GHz processor.

What does the "Workhorse Gbi (G)" column mean?

Thank you all for the directions about adding the RAM! I'd rather do it myself if I could since that's cheaper, but I wasn't sure how much it would differ from doing it in a desktop. I'll definitely do it myself now.

I also have a question (it might be kinda dumb) about the 1024x768 max resolution.
I understand it's a small screen, and so a higher resolution would make things too tiny, but does anyone find it weird or uncomfortable to switch back and forth from looking at a much higher resolution on their desktop at home/work, to looking at their ThinkPad? I remember it being awkward to look at someone else's old 800x600 resolution back when I used 1024x768.

the cpu is a dual core model, no matter if 1,66 or 1,8 ghz

so if you have programs using both cpu`s well (like encoding divx and some photo editing software) then you get roughly what you get from a 3ghz single core cpu.


other than that, since the pentium-m was introduced, notebook processors were much faster "per mhz" than desktop cpu`s. A single core pentium-m 2ghz is about as fast as a 2.8 or 3.0 ghz pentium 4 desktop cpu. so you can not directly compare the mhz and ghz of desktops and notebooks. add to that the second cpu core I mentioned at the beginning, even the 1,66ghz will fully satisfy you

(before anyone comments: ofcourse dual core cpu`s also exist for desktops, but I didn`t want to make this some kind of cpu technologies essay)

KittyCat wrote:does anyone find it weird or uncomfortable to switch back and forth from looking at a much higher resolution on their desktop at home/work, to looking at their ThinkPad?

That's not a problem for me. My desktop has a resolution of 1280x1024 while my notebook is at 1024x768. Going from one to the other doesn't bother me at all.

KittyCat wrote:I also have a question (it might be kinda dumb) about the 1024x768 max resolution.

This is actually a great question!

I use a few different ThinkPads for my work and for traveling which I do frequently. I am a mobile professional that does not have the option of connecting to a larger desktop flat panel display. So for me, the resolution is crucial. Especially since I spend so much time on the computer(s). I concurrently use UXGA 1600x1200 / SXGA+ 1400x1050 / XGA 1027x768, on three different ThinkPads. I find that switching between displays is not an issue. Especially when it comes to the X60s, as that resolutions seems so natural for the 12.1" screen size. An example for you would be a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet. The number of rows and columns displayed in XGA is only a few less than with 1400x1050. So it's perfect in my opinion.

Here is a link which explains this very nicely: Laptop LCD explainded

Cheers...

Ah, thanks for the explanation, _erazor_. I didn't really understand what "duel core" meant (it's been a couple years since I went computer shopping), but what you said makes sense.

And thanks for the LDC link, archer6.

Thanks again for all your help!

I like the 1702-4EU X60s best, I believe. Is there anything specific I should know about that model number?
I'm thinking I'll get an extra 1GB RAM and add that in


I was all excited about the link I was given above, www.costcentral.com because they have good prices and the accessories/extras that I wanted, but they don't ship to Canada. They don't even accept non-US credit cards, so I can't even buy from them and ship to a friend in the States.

Does anyone have any suggestions for where to purchase this machine in Canada, or websites that will ship to Canada? (preferably ones where the thing doesn't cost $1000 extra for no apparent reason - not including the exchage rate)

KittyCat wrote:Ah, thanks for the explanation, _erazor_.

No Problem, you are welcome.

Dual Core basically just is the same as 2 CPU`s in the same notebook, with the only difference that the 2 cores are on 1 "package", thus taking up the same space in the laptop that older single core cpu`s used before.

dual core 1,66ghz is well enough for everything if an application you use is optimized for only 1 cpu then you will not benefit a lot from dual core in that app, but you still get the advantage that 1 core can cope with windows itself, your virusscanner and other system tray tools and the other core can focus on the foreground application you run.

the general "feeling" and responsiveness of windows while multitasking is far better in a dual core environment

Yup, the only difference as opposed to a rigged parallel processor setup is that they are on the same die and they also share the same L2 Cache.

For applications such as Word and PowerPoint, Core Duo doesn't offer too much more over a single core; it is only when the application and the OS can take advantage of it can you use dual cores to the fullest. This is covered by Amdahl's law.

KittyCat wrote:I like the 1702-4EU X60s best, I believe. Is there anything specific I should know about that model number?

I have four of this exact model in the office, assigned to my employees for the last 3 months and they are very satisfied. No issues, No problems.

KittyCat wrote:I was all excited about the link I was given above, They don't even accept non-US credit cards, so I can't even buy from them and ship to a friend in the States.

Great News! I found the same computer on Euclid Computers site. They must have changed their pricing matrix as it's just $9.00 USD more than Costcentral and then to make it better they are $18.00 USD LESS than Costcentral and it's major brand memory. Which in my past experience with them means they are back to using the top brands. I have purchased over 30 ThinkPads from Euclid for my company in recent times and they are very trustworthy. Also I'm 99.9% sure they will sell to you, as I have many friends in other countries that have had great success with Euclid. Here are the links for you.
X60s /17024EU
Memory

The only caution I would offer is that this is very successful company and they sell out of stock quickly, so if you want one and they show them in stock now, I would take immediate action. Also please note: I _do NOT_ work for them. They are simply a good company that do what they say, appreciate and take care of their customers.

Good Luck...